Remember the Ataribox? The “new” console by Atari? While not much was known originally about the console apart from what was revealed in a twenty-second video showing nothing but 3D renders (so, nothing) – recently, Atari sent out an email newsletter exposing some new informational goodies.
The most unexcepted of these is the fact that it will be running Linux, which is otherwise used on everything from your Roku to the Hadron Collider. It will also be powered by an AMD processor that’s using Radeon Graphics technology.
Atari is quoted as saying that it will offer a “full PC experience” for your TV as well as mentioning that “we will also be delivering current gaming content”. One could be forgiven for thinking that it sounds like a Steam Machine. Remember those? And of course, a range of classic Atari games will be included.
If you want one, Atari will be kicking off an Indiegogo pre-order campaign in the Spring if 2018. It’s going to cost between $US249 to $US299 depending on special editions (one of which includes real wood in the case design) and “memory configurations” (which is likely the amount of onboard storage). The Ataribox will ship next year.
It’s certainly shaping up to be an interesting console. One would assume that it will be capable of streaming staples like Hulu and Netflix, but what’s really intriguing is the mention of modern games. For $250 I won’t be expecting this to be a highly spec’d out machine – but the possibility of playing less system intensive indie games along with Atari classics? I can roll with that.
More news is due out in the next few weeks, so watch this space.
Growing up while the fifth generation of consoles reigned supreme meant that Brendan missed out on much of the 80’s and early 90’s of gaming the first time around. He either lacked the cognitive ability to play them, as naturally, he was a baby - or he simply didn’t exist yet. Undeterred, Brendan started a blog called Retro Game On in 2011. This followed his exploits as he collected and played everything he could get his hands on no matter what the release date. While RGO is mainly YouTube focused these days concentrating on video reviews and historical features, the itch to do some old fashion writing never went away. More recently, Brendan has been a staff writer for the gaming website, GameCloud, mostly focusing on the indie gaming scene in his locale of Perth, Australia.
